The Need for Health Advocacy

Abstract

As Commission of Health for the State of New York, I am responsible for health advocacy for all the residents of the state. One of the primary reasons the Commissioner of Health is by statute a physician is that he or she is expected to be a forceful advocate of patients’ rights, particularly in our health-care institutions. There are specific bills of rights for nursing homes and hospitals, but unfortunately patients often know little about them. For this reason alone, the role of patient representatives in hospitals and in nursing homes is a very important one. They should be viewed as personal proponents and defenders of patients’ rights and dignity, with responsibilities to patients that transcend the traditional employer-employee relationship.